Shoe sole attaching



125 z y SEARCH B090 Aug. 3l, 1948. v NUGENT 2,448,112

I SHOE SOLE ATTACHING l Filed Jan. 10. 1947 2 Sheets-Sheet l Aug. 3l, 1948.

F. v. NUGENT 2,448,112 SHOE SOLE ATTACHING Filed Jan. l0, 1947 2 sheets-sheet 2 88 Wederz'c //Vugen Pste'nad Aug. 31, 194s SHOE SOLE ATTACHING Frederick V. Nugent, Abington, Mass., assignor to United Shoe Machinery Corporation, Flemington, N. J., a corporation of New Jersey Application January 10, 1947, Serial No. 721,342

14 Claims.

This invention relates to shoe sole attaching and more particularly to the cohesive attachment of soles to shoes Iby fusion. The invention is particularly useful in the attachment of soles to shoes in which the attaching faces of the shoe parts are of thermoplastic materials. Thus, the attaching faces of each may be coated with a layer of thermoplastic material or one or both of the shoe parts may be composed en'tirely of thermoplastic material. It will further be understood that the invention is applicable to the manufacture of shoes or to the attachment of soles in repairing shoes.

Apparatus heretofore employed in attaching soles to shoes by fusion contemplates the simultaneous al1-over heating of the attaching faces of the shoe parts to soften the adhesive thereon followed by the pressing together of the shoe parts. This is accomplished in one form of apparatus as disclosed by Letters Patent of the United States No. 2,342,725, granted February 29, 1944, on an application filed in the name of Ernest A. Crepeau, by introducing a radiant hea-ter between the shoe parts while the shoe parts are held in spaced relation. permitting the heater to remain therebetween untii the adhesive on the shoe parts is sunlciently softened. and then withdrawing it and bringing the shoe parts together under pressure to attach the sole to the shoe bottom. Another form of apparatus as shown in Letters Patent of the United States No. 2,417,065, granted March 11, 1947, on an application filed in the names of Paul H. Dixon and Joseph R.. Ioannilli, utilizes a conduction heater held in contact with the shoe parts -throughout the exten-t of their attaching faces until the adhesive thereon is lsoftened whereupon the heater is removed from between the shoe parts and pressure is applied to attach the soles to the shoe bottom.

It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved method for attaching soles to shoes and an apparatus for carrying out the method which is oi' simplified construction and capable of use on shoes of varying sizes and styles wi-thout the necessity of making any complicated adjustments in the apparatus or changing any parts thereof. 'I'his isl accomplished in accordance with a. feature oi' the invention by assembling the sole and shoe, progressively heating the attaching faces thereof around the margin of the shoe and progressively applying attaching pressure to the sole immediately following the heating thereof. As illustrated herein the heating is effected by mean-s of a heating blade arranged to be positioned between the marginal portions of the sole and shoe, the shoe being moved relatively to the blade so that the marginal portions are softened progressively. Pressure-applying elements are located immediately to the rear of the hea-ting blade in the direction of feed of the work so that each portion of the sole and shoe is pressed together immediately after their marginal portions have been heated.n

For operating on welt shoes in accordance with a further feature of the invention the feeding of the work is accomplished by means of a pair of coacting rolls one of which is driven and which rolls also serve progressively to apply pressure to the sole and welt. The heating blade is located immediately in advance .of these rolls so that the pressure upon each part of the sole and welt is ap plied immediately after the activation of the thermoplastic materials is completed. For operating upon shoes of the type in which the upper is lasted over the insole in substantal parallelism throughout the lasting margin with the bottom of the shoe, frequently designated as "flat-lasted" shoes. the pressure may be applied by a reciprocating hammer cooperating with an anvil upon which the shoe may be supported, the feeding of the shoe .being effected by the operator between successive blows of the hammer.

The above and other features of the invention including various details of construction and novel combinations of parts will now be described by reference to the accompanying drawings and pointed out in the claims.

In the drawings,

Fig. 1 is a side elevation partly in section of one form of machine lby which the method may be practiced, the work-engaging elements being shown in operative relation to a shoe;

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the work-engaging elements in operative relation to a shoe;

Fig. 3 is a side elevation partly in section of another form of apparatus by which the method may be practiced;

Fig. 4 is a side elevation on a larger scale of the work-engaging elements of the apparatus shown in Fig. 3 in operative relation to a shoe, and

Fig. 5 is a front elevation, partly in section, of the work-engaging elements in operative relation to a shoe.

The machine illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2 is designed for operation on welt shoes in which the attaching surfaces of the welt and sole are oi' thermoplastic materials which may be activated or softened by heat and fused together by the subsequent application of pressure. 'The welt is supported with vthe shoe in inverted position by a roll II) with which cooperates a driven roll I2 engageableaih the outsole opposite to the zone of engagement of the roll I0. The roll I2, in coopera.- tion with the roll Ill, acts to feed the shoe in the direction of the arrow in Fig. 2. Located immediately in advance of the zone of pressure between the rolls I and I2 is a heater in the form of a thin metallic blade I4 positioned to lie between the sole and welt to soften the thermoplastic materials immediately prior to the application of pressure by the rolls I0 and I2.

It should be understood that either the Welt or the outsole or both may consist entirely of thermoplastic materials or may be provided with a coating of thermoplastic material in the form of a cement which has been previously applied in liquid form and allowed to harden.

The roll I0 by which the welt is supported, has a supporting surface I6 formed at an acute angle with the under surface I8 of the roll I0 so that the roll at its periphery is sufiiciently thin to enterthe welt crease of the shoe and to provide adequate support for the welt throughout substantially its entire width. The roll I0 is carried Aby a shaft rotatable in bearings 22 which are supported by a bracket 24. This bracket is secured by screws 26 to a Vertical support 28 having a horizontal portion 30 by which it is attached to a suitable table or other supporting,l

member 32.

The roll I2 is secured to the threaded end of a shaft 34 journaled in bushings 36 in opposite ends of a sleeve 38. This sleeve is carried by -a slide 40 movable vertically in the support 28. For turning the shaft 34 it is provided at the end opposite the roll I2 with a pulley 42 by which it may be connected to a suitable source of power. A spring 44 interposed between the sleeve 38 and the upper end of the support 28 urges the sleeve and with it the roll I2 upwardly into a position determined by the engagement of a pin 46 in the lower end of the slide with the bottom of the support. When the roll I2 is moved into this position it is spaced sufliciently from the roll I0 and the blade I4 to permit the work to be insert- `ed readily between the rolls with the blade lying between the welt and outsole. The pin 46 provides a connection between the slide 40 and a pull rod 48 which may be connected to a treadle (not shown) by which the slide, the sleeve 38, and the roll I2 may be moved downwardly by the operator against the action of the spring 44 so that the roll I2 engages the outsole and in oooperation with the roll I0 feeds the work and l presses the welt and outsole together.

The heating blade I4 by which the thermoplastic materials at the attaching faces of the welt and outsole are activated is formed of a thin flat metallic resistance material of U shape in plan as shown in Fig. 2, the cross sectional areas of the blade being preferably uniform throughout so that the blade will have a uniform resist- 'ance and consequently a uniform heating effect when connected to a source of 'electrical energy. This blade is located just in advance of the zone of contact of the rolls I0 and I2 when viewed in the direction of feed of the work sothat the thermoplastic materials are activated immedi- .ately prior to the action of the rolls on the welt. land outsole.

The ends of the blade I4 are connected to flexible conductor bars 50, 52 which The 4 24 and insulates the machine from the conductor bars. By connecting the ends of the conductor bars to a source of electrical energy, current will pass therethrough and through the heating blade I4 which, because of its relatively high resistance with respect to the conductor bars, will be heated to a suiciently high degree .to activate the thermoplastic materials at the attachingl faces of the Welt and outsole very rapidly. It will be understood that the blade I4 and the conductor bars 50, 52 are sufficiently flexible so that the blade may accommodate itself readily to variations in the thickness of the welt.

In carrying out the method with the apparatus disclosed in Figs. 1 and 2, the outsole O will be first spotted on the bottom of the shoe S in any suitable manner after which one end of the welt W will be place-d on the roll I0 with the blade I4 between the welt and the outsole at substantially the same location. The roll I2 will now be moved downwardly through the pull rod 48 and will engage the outsole opposite to the roll I0 whereupon the assembled shoe and outsole will be fed by the action of the rolls and guided by the operator. During this feeding movement the blade I4 activates the thermoplastic materials at the attaching faces of the sole and Welt and on the inseam if this has also been provided with thermoplastic material. Because the shoe and sole are being fed by the rolls the blade I4 acts to activate successive portions of the shoe parts around the margin of the shoe bottom immediately following which the rolls I0 and I2 pre'ss the sole and welt together before the cement has had an opportunity to become hardened by cooling.

The form of invention illustrated in Figs. 3`, 4 and 5 is adapted more particularly in practicing the method of the invention when attaching a sole to a shoe of the flat lasted type. In this form of apparatus a heating blade 60 which may be similar to the blade I4 of Figs. 1 and 2' is provided for insertion between an outsole O and the overlasted margin of an upper u each of which parts may be formed at their attaching faces of thermoplastic materials. The other Work-engaging elements consist of a horn 62 engageable with the foot-engaging face of the insole i, it being understood that if a new shoe is being operated up the last is withdrawn prior to the sole-attaching operation. The top face of the horn which is at rests against the insole at its marginal portion and directly opposite the horn is a hammer 64 which is rapidly reciprocated to cause a localized portion of the outsole and the overlasted portion of the upper to be forced together causing the thermoplastic materials at their attaching faces to becomev fused together after they have been activated by the heating blade 60. This heating blade will preferably be located just outside the zone I. o f pressure between the horn and the hammer"as shown in Fig. 5. although in this case, since the feeding of the shoe and assembled outsole will take place between blows of the hammer, the blade 60 might overlap the zone of pressure between the hammer and horn.

The heating blade 60 is mounted for vertical adjustment to vary the space between it and the hammer 64 when the hammer is in its lowermost position thereby to accommodate outsoles of different thicknesses. For this purpose it is carried by a bracket 6I adjustably mounted by screws 63 passing through slots 65 in the bracket and threaded into a supporting frame ,68. 4i second bracket Il secured to the frame carries an ad- Justable stop screw 1| engageable with the undersidf the bracket Il thereby to determine the heightwise position of the bracket on the sup- Porting frame.

The hammer N is formed on the lower end of a plunger 06 mounted for vertical movements in the upper end of the supporting frame 6I. Journaled in the upper end of this frame is a shaft which is provided at its forward end with an eccentric pin i2 engageable with a transverse slot in the plunger Il whereby the plunger is reciprocated upon rotation of the shaft. The other end of the shaft carries a pulley 1I connected by a belt 'I6 with a drive pulley 1l on the shaft of a motor l0 secured to the upper end of the frame ll. The pulley 14 is connected to the shaft 10 by a clutch 82 operated by a rod 04 connected to a treadle pivoted at Il to the base of the machine and urged upwardly by a spring 90. The clutch 02 may be of the type known as a pin clutch which when the rod 04 is depressed will cause the shaft 1I to be rotated continuously and when the rod 04 is raised will cause the shaft I0 to stop with the hammer M in raised position. A clutch of this type is disclosed in United States Letters Patent No. 958,293, granted May 17, 1910, on an application of T. G. Plant.

The horn l2 has a stem 94 mounted for vertical movement in the frame 6I. This stem is hollow and contains a spring 9|, the upper end of which rests against a disk 90 engaged by a screw |00 threaded in the horn 02. The lower end of the spring rests against the head of a stud |02 arranged to slide through a plug |04 threaded into the lower end of the stem 94. Connected to the stud Iltis a block l" to which is pivoted at |00 a bell crank lever |09, one arm ||l of which is connected to a link H2, the lower end of which has a fixed bearing at ||4. The other arm of the bell crank lever is connected to the treadle I6 by means of a yieldingly extensible link comprising a rod III pivoted to the treadle and a link H8 pivoted to the arm of the bell crank lever |09. The rod lli passes freely through an offset |20 on the link III. A tension spring |22 is confined on the rod H0 between the offset |20 and a nut on the upper end of the rod and is maintained under any desired initial tension by a nut |24 threaded on the'rod and engaging the offset |20. Upon depression of the treadle I6 the toggle, composed of link ||2- and arm H0, is straightened through the movement of the bell crank lever III to raise the horn 62 toward the hammer 0l supporting the work in the field of action oi' the hammer. The spring 0I which supports the horn may be set at any predetermined initial tension by turning the screw |00 and permits the work to yield when the pressure of the hammer exceeds the tension for which the spring is set. After the toggle is straightened the spring |22 permits further depression of the treadle to cause the clutch to be tripped and the hammer 64 operated.

In using this apparatus in carrying out the method with a ilat lasted shoe an outsole will first be spotted on the bottom of the shoe and temporarily secured in any suitable manner after which the assembled shoe and outsole is presented to the machine. The outsole O is placed between the hammer I4 and the heating blade i0 whereupon the horn I2 is raised by depressing the treadle thereby to support the shoe against the pressure to be exerted by the hammer. Upon further depression of the treadle the clutch 02 is engaged whereupon the hammer is reciprocated rapidly and the work may be fed between successive blows of the hammer by the operator. Thus it will be seen that the thermoplastic attaching faces of the outsole and upper will be progressively activated by the blade i0 following which the outsole and upper are pressed together by the action of the hammer in cooperation with the horn 02. The marginal portions of the shoe are rapidly traversed in this manner and the attachment of the outsole is easily and quickly effected.

By the progressive method of attachment of the outsole to the shoe, whether the shoe be a ilat lasted shoe or a welt shoe, the operation is completed rapidly without the necessity of employing complicated machinery and further without the necessity of making complicated adjustments in the machine or of changing parts to adapt the machines to varying sizes and styles of shoes. It will be further understood that the outsole and the welt or overlasted margin of the upper may be provided with any suitable heat-activated adhesive or any one or all of the parts may COnSiSt entirely of suitable thermoplastic material.

Having thus described the invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

l. A machine for attaching soles to shoes wherein the attaching faces -of the soles and shoes are of thermoplastic materials, comprising a heater arranged progressively to activate the thermoplastic materials of a sole and shoe at their attaching faces around the margins thereof, and mechanism for progressively applying a localized attaching pressure to the sole and shoe immediately following the heating thereof.

2. That improvement in attaching soles to shoe bottoms in which the attaching faces of the shoe parts are of thermoplastic materials which comprises progressively heating successive portions of the attaching faces of a sole and shoe bottom to soften the thermoplastic materials while the sole is temporarily positioned on the shoe bottom, and applying pressure to each of said portions of the sole thereof thereby progressively to attach the sole to the shoe bottom.

3. That improvement in attaching soles to shoe bottoms in which the attaching faces of the shoe parts are of thermoplastic materials which comprises feeding an assembled sole and shoe past a device for heating the thermoplastic material of the attaching faces, and progressively applying attaching pressure to the sole and shoe immediately following the heating thereof;

4. A machine for attaching soles to shoes wherein the attaching faces of the soles and shoes are of thermoplastic materials, comprising a heating blade arranged for simultanefijus contact with a localized portion of the attaching faces oi' an assembled sole and shoe and arranged upon relative movement between the sole and shoe and the blade progressively to activate the thermoplastic materials around the margin of the sole and shoe, and cooperating pressure elements for pressing each portion of the sole to the shoe bottom immediately following the heating thereof by said blade.

5. That improvement in attaching soles to shoe bottoms in which the attaching faces oi' the shoe parts are of thermoplastic materials which comprises positioning a heating blade between the marginal portions of an assembled sole and shoe, causing relative movement of the shoe and sole so that the heating blade progressively cheeses immediately following the heating the marginal portions to activate the thermoplastic materials, and simultaneously applying attachm pressure to the sole and shoe :lust rearwardly of the zone of heating by said blade.

6. That improvement in attaching soles to shoe bottoms in which the attaching faces of the shoe parts are of thermoplastic materials which comprises passing an assembled sole and shoe between a pair of pressure-applying devices, and applying activating heat to the attaching faces of the sole and shoe immediately in advance of said pressure-applying devices.

7. A machine for attaching soles to shoes wherein the attaching faces of the soles and shoes are of thermoplastic materials, comprising a heating blade arranged for simultaneous contact with a localized portion of the attaching faces of an .assembled sole and shoe and-arranged upon movement of the sole and shoe relatively to the blade progressively to activate the thermoplastic materials-around the margin of the sole and shoe. and mechanism for feeding the sole and shoe relatively to said heating blade and for pressing the sole against the shoe bottom immediately following the heating thereof by said blade.

8. A machine for attaching soles to shoes wherein the attaching faces of .the soles and shoes are of thermoplastic materials, comprising a heating blade arranged for engagement with a small marginal portion of the attaching faces of an assembled sole and shoe, means for supporting the assembled sole and shoe for the action of said heating blade, and means cooperating with said supporting means during feeding of the assembled shoe and sole relatively to said blade for pressing a portion of the sole immediately behind said blade against the shoe bottom.

9. A. machine for attaching soles to shoes wherein the attaching faces of the soles and shoes are of thermoplastic materials, comprising a, heating blade arranged for engagement with a small marginal Iportion of the attaching faces of an assembled sole and shoe, means for supporting the assembled sole and shoe for the action of said heating blade, and a driven roll cooperating with said supporting means to feed the assembled shoe and sole relatively to said blade and to press the sole against the shoe bottom, said roll and supporting means being located immediately behind said heating blade in the direction of feed of the assembled shoe and sole.

10. A machine for attaching soles to shoes wherein the attaching faces of the soles and shoes are of thermoplastic materials, comprising a heating blade arranged for engagement with a small marginal portion of the attaching faces of an feeding of the assembled shoe and sole relatively to said blade for exerting on the sole attaching pressure, said hammer and supporting means being located immediately behind the heating blade in the direction of feed of the assembled shoe and sole.

1l. A machine for attaching soles to the bottoms of welt shoes wherein the attaching faces of the sole and welt are of thermoplastic materials, comprising a roll arranged to underlie and support the welt of an inverted shoe, a feed roll engageable with the marginal portion of an outsole cooperating with said supporting roll for feeding an assembled sole and shoe and for pressing the sole against said welt, and a heating member located immediately in advance of said rolls and arranged to activate the thermoplastic materials of the sole and welt immediately prior to the application of pressure thereto.

12. That improvement in attaching soles to the bottoms of welt shoes in which the attaching faces of the welt and sole are of thermoplastic materials which comprises Ipassing the assembled sole and shoe between a pair of cooperating feed and pressure-applying rolls which engage the top of the welt and the bottom of the sole, and applying activating heat to the attaching faces of the sole and welt immediately in advance of said rolls.

13. That improvement in attaching soles to shoe bottoms in which the attaching faces o1' the shoe parts are of thermoplastic materials which comprises intermittently and progressively applying attaching pressure to the marginal portions of the sole and shoe, and heating successive portions of the attaching faces of the sole and shoe immediately in advance of the vapplication of pressure thereto.

14. A machine for attaching soles to the bottoms of welt shoes wherein the attaching faces of the sole and welt are of thermoplastic material comprising a roll arranged to underlie and support the welt of an inverted shoe, a feed roll engageable with the marginal portion of an outsole cooperating with said supporting roll for feeding 'an assembled sole and shoe and for pressing the sole against said welt, and a flexible, thin, electrically-heated yblade located immediately in advance of said rolls and arranged to activate the thermoplastic materials of the sole and welt immediately prior to the application of pressure thereto.

FREDERICK V. NUGENT.

Certificate of Correction Patent No. 2,448,112.

` FREDERICK V. NUGENT It is hereby certified that error appears in the printed specication o'f the above numbered patent requiring correction as follows:

` Column 4, line 50, for the Words up the read upon the; l and that the said Letters Patent should be read With this correction therein that the same may conform to the record of the case in the Patent OHice.

Signed and sealed this 7th day of December, A. D. 1948.

THOMAS F. MURPHY,

Assistant ommz'sszoner of Patents.

August 31, 1948. 

